


Make It So

by Elsey8



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: A little, And really, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Lorenz is in love, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Post-Time Skip, Sort Of, can you blame him?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:15:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23412214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elsey8/pseuds/Elsey8
Summary: Lorenz has always assumed after the war ended, he and Claude would go their separate ways. Not that he wanted that, but that's what he thought had to happen.Claude has wildly different plans.
Relationships: Lorenz Hellman Gloucester/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 6
Kudos: 93





	Make It So

“We can’t do this forever,” Lorenz says, some day close to the end of the war. 

Or, what he hopes is the end of the war. They’re closing in on Edelgard, so if they win then the war ends. If they lose...well the war may still also end. There are only so many times the conflict can escalate until there can’t be anymore people to oppose them or Edelgard. 

Whoever wins, it’ll be over. 

What he and Claude have developed, that was just fine when they were still going to school, when they were children. Before Claude was to become Duke and before Lorenz had a goal besides keeping a close eye on Claude. It was fine during the war. When there’s a war, there isn’t exactly a lot of time to worry about status or who you’re fighting next to. It’s not like it poses much of a problem in the grand scheme of things, Lorenz’s father doesn’t care where he rests his head after each battle. 

But after this is all over...well that’s a different story.

“What’re you talking about?”

“I have a duty to carry on my family line, and my father will arrange a marriage that’s beneficial for our family.” Lorenz doesn’t look at Claude, least of all because he can’t. “I assume soon after the war is over I’ll be married off and you’ll officially be Duke, so you’ll have similar responsibilities. We will produce heirs, as that’s the only thing I’m good for anymore. I’ll settle down with some girl who carries a Crest. As will you, although I mean...maybe you’ll be able to choose.”

“Lorenz, what are you talking about?” Claude is almost laughing. 

“I won’t have a choice in the matter.”

Claude’s hand finds his arm, squeezing to ground him. Claude always does that when his father is brought up. It’s not that Lorenz is scared of him, or anything of the sort, he’s just so resigned to following every single one of his father’s orders. It’s what he’s used to, always going along with whatever his father says, even if it’s nothing near what he wants. Even if it’s not truly forced on him, Lorenz knows that his father would do anything to keep him obedient.

He was born to become Duke, raised to become Duke, existed to become Duke. Claude changed all of that. Now, his father must find another use of him. He has no say in it.

“Lorenz, of course you have a choice.”

“People will talk. My father will disapprove, we cannot produce a biological heir, I mean what will people think?”

"Who cares?"

“I...”

Claude takes his other arm, then seems to rethink it and takes both his hands in his own. 

His hands have always been warm, welcoming, everything he’s always wanted. 

“I’ll be Duke, my love. Trust me when I say everything will be alright, and if it isn’t well...I’ll make it so.”

Lorenz is no stranger to the fact that Claude would betray many things and move many stars for him. But that was on the battlefield, that was different. On the battlefield, none of this is real, when they’re fighting side by side, nobody else exists. Lorenz doesn’t have a father waiting at home, Claude isn’t set to be Duke. They’re just two people named Claude and Lorenz and they’re fighting and they’re together and they won’t let anything happen to each other. That’s so easy.

This is much less easy. This is real, this is life. This is Claude saying he’ll make it so, that he will somehow save Lorenz from his responsibilities. 

Lorenz’s vision blurs, perhaps tears, perhaps some other culprit, he’s too focused on Claude to care. Their eyes are locked, and Lorenz cannot look away. He would follow Claude anywhere, and he’s not sure if Claude knows or not. 

Claude is bright, he’s wonderful, he can change the world. Lorenz is just along for the ride. 

“I’m not much, you know that. I was never really meant for this. You belong beside me, aiding me in this journey. I don’t care what I have to do to make you stand alongside me, but I’ll do it. As my advisor to ward suspicion, or ruling alongside me. No matter what you want to tell people we are, we’ll stay together. I won’t let you go, not again.” Claude’s voice is filled with conviction and not much else. “We can and will do this forever, Lorenz.”

“Claude,” he manages, but nothing else escapes him.

But his mind fills in the gaps, because there are so many things he wants to say, but he can’t say any of it. He wants to tell Claude that he’s everything, that he wants to stay with him and watch him take the world by storm, he wants it all. He selfishly wants to be able to watch Claude do what he does best, change people and things, up close and personal. 

“I’ll convince your father. I mean how could he be opposed to you marrying the Duke? You can’t possibly keep a closer eye on me than that.”

“I...I haven’t said yes.”

Claude’s eyes are bright and hopeful, and that genuine smile that is reserved for Lorenz shows itself. And Lorenz knows that he never would’ve said no in the first place, but when Claude looks like that, there’s really no chance for him. When Claude looks like that, he understands the reverence with which people speak of the goddess. All he wants to do is get on his knees and pray to Claude. 

“Yet? And you will?”

“Aren’t you supposed to actually ask?”

“I don’t have a ring, and Marianne told me I’m still not supposed to bend my knee—“

“And I won’t let you—“

“I won’t!” Claude laughs, and makes a show of standing with his knees not even slightly bent. “I won’t...you’ll marry me?”

He will, he most certainly will. But he has to keep his composure somehow. 

“Ask properly, Claude von Riegan.”

“Lorenz...must I do your full name? Yeah, yeah. Lorenz Hellman Gloucester, will you marry me?”

Yes! Yes, a million times yes, yes in every lifetime. He wants to spend the rest of his days with Claude. He takes a deep breath. 

“I will.”

“My plan comes to fruition,” Claude laughs, turning away.

His cheeks are red, but probably not quite as red as Lorenz is. 

“Your plan?”

“My evil plan to get you to stop investigating me. If you’re in love with me you won’t be suspicious.”

“I am still very suspicious of you, von Riegan. You didn’t even ask my father for my hand first. Thats’s just dastardly.”

Claude laughs, pulling his hands away just to cover his mouth. 

“Whoops. I’m sure he’ll be fine with it.”

Lorenz initiates the kiss, but Claude is the one who comes back for seconds and thirds. It is sweet and romantic and soft and reinforced every time with the promise that now they’ll be able to spend the rest of their days together. Whether that’s a few days in which they’ll perish in the battle with Edelgard, or if it’s the rest of their natural lifespan. 

No matter what. 

“Oh, every time!” 

They jerk apart, turning to face Hilda, leaning against the doorframe.

“Did you need something?”

“The Professor wants to talk to you.”

Claude starts to move, but Hilda shakes her head.

“They want to talk to Lorenz.”

“Ooh, you’re in trouble!” Claude teases, tugging at Lorenz’s lapel. “What did you do this time?”

“Actually I think they wanted to promote Lorenz or something...” Hilda scratches her chin, exaggerated. 

“For what? Needing me to save his ass?”

Lorenz decidedly does not think about how it was the other way around last week and just laughs along with the joke. 

It’s over now, and the war will be over soon. No need to worry over the smaller details. 

“I’m sure it’s nothing like that you two. I will be back, my dear, and we can talk more.”

Claude grins widely and nudges Hilda.

“Hey that’s my fiancé.”

Lorenz rolls his eyes and walks out, but he’s hardly a few steps away before a smile overtakes his face. He likes that. 

He’s engaged to the future Duke. In a roundabout way, he supposes he will be Duke after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> I just love them.   
> If you liked this, be sure to keep an eye on me! I have a "courting" miniseries I'm going to start editing and posting soon :)


End file.
